Conventionally, a slider in which a tab can be attached afterward to a slider body after manufacturing the slider body has been known as one of sliders which are used in a slide fastener. The slider mentioned above can be preferably used in a slide fastener, for example, attached to clothing item, bags and the like, since various types of tabs which are different in colors and shapes can be freely attached to the slider body, for example, in correspondence to a request, a preference and the like of a user.
One example of the slider for the slide fastener in which the tab can be attached afterward as mentioned above is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-295415 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Utility Model No. 3070213 (Patent Document 2), Japanese Utility Model No. 3078062 (Patent Document 3) and the like. In this case, a description will be given of the slider described in the Patent Document 1 with reference to FIG. 20.
A slider 101 described in the Patent Document 1 has a slider body 110, a tab 120 which is attached to the slider body 110, a stopper (a blocking member) 130 and a resilient member 140 which are accommodated in a hole portion 117 pierced in a height direction of the slider body 110, and a tabular support plate 150 which is fixed by caulking to the slider body 110 and supports the resilient member 140.
The slider body 110 has upper and lower blades 111 and 112, a diamond 113 which connects front end portions of the upper and lower blades 111 and 112, upper and lower flanges 114 which are arranged in right and left side edges of the upper and lower blades 111 and 112. Further, a tab attaching rod 160 which is raised in a cantilevered state is integrally formed with the slider body 110 in an upper surface of the upper blade 111. In this case, one end portion of the tab attaching rod 160 corresponds to a fixed end portion which is fixed to the upper blade 111, and another end portion corresponds to a free end portion 161 which is arranged so as to have a gap with respect to the upper surface of the upper blade 111. Note that, the gap arranged between the upper surface of the upper blade 111 and the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160 corresponds to an insertion gap for inserting a part of the tab 120 at a time of attaching the tab 120 to the tab attaching rod 160, as mentioned below.
Right and left shoulder ports are formed in a front end of the slider body 110 so as to have the diamond 113 between them, and a rear port is formed in a rear end of the slider body 110. Further, a Y-shaped element guide path 115 communicating the right and left shoulder ports and the rear port is formed between the upper and lower blades 111 and 112.
In the slider body 110, a concave portion 116 is formed in an upper surface of the upper blade 111 so as to head for a rear side from a front end edge of the upper blade 111, and the concave portion 116 is arranged in a wider range than the free end portion 161 in a lower side of the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160.
Further, a hole portion 117 passing through in an up and down direction from an upper surface of the upper blade 111 to a lower surface of the lower blade 112 is pieced in a front end portion in which the diamond 113 of the slider body 110 is arranged, and a lower end of the hole portion 117 is provided with a step portion which can fit the support plate 150. Further, a protruding piece portion 118 which can fix the support plate 150 by caulking is provided in a hanged manner at the front and back position of the hole portion 117 in the lower blade 112.
The tab 120 in the Patent Document 1 has a tab main body portion 121, and an attaching shaft portion 122 which is inserted in an accommodating space formed between the upper blade 111 and the tab attaching rod 160.
An inclined surface 131 is formed in an upper end portion of the stopper 130 in the Patent Document 1. The inclined surface 131 is arranged in such a manner that the stopper 130 is inclined downward to a forward side at a time of being fitted to the slider body 110. Further, a circular hole portion (not shown) which can insert the resilient member 140 is formed in a lower end surface of the stopper 130.
In the case of assembling the slider 101 of the Patent Document 1 having the parts as mentioned above, first of all, the stopper 130 is inserted at a predetermined direction into the hole portion 117 which is pierced in the slider body 110, and the resilient member 140 is arranged below the stopper 130. At this time, an upper end of the resilient member 140 is fitted into a circular hole portion (not shown) in the stopper 130.
Subsequently, the support plate 150 is fixed to the slider body 110 by fitting the support plate 150 to the step portion which is arranged in the lower end of the hole portion 117 in a state in which the support plate 150 is brought into contact with the lower end of the resilient member 140, and further caulking the protruding piece portion 118 hanged from the lower blade 112 toward the support plate 150. In accordance with this, the stopper 130, the resilient member 140 and the support plate 150 are mounted to the slider body 110.
At this time, since the stopper 130 is energized upward by the resilient member 140, the upper end of the stopper 130 comes into contact with the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160, thereby coming to a state in which a gap (an insertion gap) provided between the bottom surface of the concave portion 116 formed in the upper blade 111 and the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160 is blocked.
Next, the tab 120 is attached to the slider body 110 to which the stopper 130, the resilient member 140 and the support plate 150 are mounted. Specifically, the attaching shaft portion 122 of the tab 120 is inserted between the concave portion 116 formed in the upper blade 111 and the free end portion portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160 from a front end side of the slider body 110, the attaching shaft portion 122 is brought into contact with the inclined surface 131 of the stopper 130, and the attaching shaft portion 122 is pressed toward the stopper 130.
In accordance with this, since the stopper 130 moves downward against an energizing force of the resilient member 140, the insertion gap between the bottom surface of the concave portion 116 of the upper blade 111 and the free end portion portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160 is opened, and the attaching shaft portion 122 of the tab 120 is introduced into an accommodating space which is formed between the upper blade 111 and the tab attaching rod 160 via the opened insertion gap, and is accommodated into the accommodating space.
Since the stopper 130 is energized by the resilient member 140 so as to move upward after the attaching shaft portion 122 of the tab 120 is introduced into the accommodating space, the upper end of the stopper 130 comes into contact with the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160, thereby coming to a state in which the insertion gap is again blocked. In accordance with this, the slider 101 in which the tab 120 is attached to the tab attaching rod 160 can be obtained.
In accordance with the slider 101 of the Patent Document 1 mentioned above, it is possible to easily and smoothly attach the tab 120 to the slider body 110 in which the tab attaching rod 160 is integrally formed, by utilizing the concave portion 116 which is formed in the upper blade 111 of the slider body 110.
Further, in the slider 101, since the gap between the upper surface of the upper blade 111 and the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160 becomes smaller, it is possible to make it hard for the attaching shaft portion 122 of the tab 120 to enter into the gap between the bottom surface of the concave portion 116 in the upper blade 111 and the free end portion 161 of the tab attaching rod 160, in the case that the tab 120 is once attached to the tab attaching rod 160.
In accordance with this, it is possible to reduce a possibility that the attaching shaft portion 122 of the tab 120 comes into contact with the stopper 130 so as to press the stopper 130, at a time when the tab 120 is pulled, for example, by an operation of the slider 101 or the like. Therefore, it is possible to prevent such a trouble that the tab 120 is disconnected arbitrarily from the tab attaching rod 160 without user's intention.
On the other hand, in the sliders disclosed in the Patent Documents 2 and 3, an insertion gap which can insert an attaching shaft portion of a tab is provided between an upper surface of an upper blade in a slider body and a free end portion of a tab attaching rod, and a leaf spring member is used as a blocking member which blocks the insertion gap.
In the slider mentioned above, in the case that the tab is attached to the tab attaching rod which is arranged in the slider body after mounting the blocking member constructed by the leaf spring member to the slider body so as to block the insertion gap, the blocking member resiliently deforms and can easily make the insertion gap open, by pressing the blocking member by the attaching shaft portion of the tab. In accordance with this, since the attaching shaft portion of the tab is smoothly introduced to the tab accommodating space between the upper blade and the tab attaching rod, via the opened insertion gap, it is possible to easily carry out the attachment of the tab.